Abstract
This study documents how communication departments manage multiple sections of the basic public speaking course through a dedicated administrator called the Basic Course Director. A survey of Midwestern universities shows that most institutions appoint such a director whenever more than a handful of sections run each year. Directors are almost always tenure track or tenured professors and usually receive a course load reduction instead of direct monetary compensation. Reported responsibilities cluster in three areas: supervising instructors through mentoring evaluation and hiring; implementing standardized curricula and assessments to assure consistency across sections; and representing the course to students other departments and the wider university. Findings suggest that without clear administrative leadership essential tasks such as updating syllabi monitoring instructional quality and resolving student concerns may be overlooked. The article concludes that assigning a committed director strengthens curricular coherence faculty development and departmental visibility while supporting student learning in large multisection programs.
Recommended Citation
Benson, James and Carrell, Lori
(1992)
"Basic Communication Course Directors: Results of A Midwest Survey,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 82, Article 7.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol82/iss1/7
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